ExodusPoint Capital Management LP Sells 6,187 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

ExodusPoint Capital Management LP trimmed its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 62.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 6,187 shares during the quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $785,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Badger Meter by 2,457.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 179 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 261.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 597 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Price Performance

NYSE BMI opened at $182.04 on Friday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1 year low of $151.18 and a 1 year high of $239.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a PE ratio of 43.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.84. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $201.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $211.29.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.12% and a return on equity of 21.77%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.15%.

Insider Activity at Badger Meter

In related news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 2,416 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.33, for a total transaction of $508,157.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,986,475.67. This trade represents a 14.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Karen M. Bauer sold 1,147 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total transaction of $240,571.78. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,064,640.24. This trade represents a 18.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,949 shares of company stock valued at $4,398,407 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BMI has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, March 27th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price objective on the stock. Maxim Group upped their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $225.20.

Badger Meter Profile

Badger Meter, Inc manufactures and markets flow measurement, quality, control, and communication solutions worldwide. It offers mechanical or static water meters, and related radio and software technologies and services to municipal water utilities market. The company also provides flow instrumentation products, including meters, valves, and other sensing instruments to measure and control fluids going through a pipe or pipeline, including water, air, steam, and other liquids and gases to original equipment manufacturers as the primary flow measurement device within a product or system, as well as through manufacturers' representatives.